The cans were already since November 2012 at Eye in the closet. A journalist from Hattem then gifted them to the museum. He saved the film from the old local cinema Theatre De Vries, because that would be demolished. Which film was in the cans, the journalist did not know. He hoped for images from before World War II and brought them to Eye.

Betty Balfour

Only eighteen months later the staff of Eye had time to watch the contents of the cans. They found the masterpiece of the famous filmmaker Pearson, a silent film that was considered lost by the Britons. Only one other movie by this film maker has been preserved. In Love, Life and Laughter, among others people can see the famous actress Betty Balfour. Balfour was the most successful British actress in the 1920s.

The BFI curator speaks of a very important discovery. “The audience looked at Life , Love and Laughter as one of the most beautiful creations of British cinema. It is fantastic to be able to see now if it really is.”

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4 thoughts on “Famous silent film rediscovery”

What a wonderful find. I love the old films so much. I had never heard of Betty Balfour until this post, and I’m a fan already. The silent movies were so much fun to watch, and so many of them are no longer available, destroyed by age and poor storage, and people who are so eager to be “out with the old and in with the new” everything. Thanks for sharing this song. It’s so happy and carefree. I love it.